Kahuku works OT to beat Baldwin; Red Raiders get Raiders next

Devin Unga contributes on offense and defense in the extra session for the quarterfinal win

The senior came up with two steals and scored Kahuku's first three points in overtime as the Red Raiders outlasted Baldwin 50-46 last night at Radford's James Alegre Gym in the quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.

HHSAA boys basketball

At Radford/McKinley H.S. gyms and Stan Sheriff Center

Seeds: 1. Iolani. 2. Kaimuki. 3. Kamehameha-Hawaii. 4. Baldwin.

YESTERDAY

At Radford H.S. gym

5: Kahuku 50, Baldwin 46, OT

6: Iolani 59, Kalaheo 38

At McKinley H.S. gym

7: Kamehameha 49, Kamehameha-Hawaii 45

8: Kaimuki 68, Campbell 50

TODAY

At Stan Sheriff Center

9: Honokaa vs. Waimea, 10:45 a.m.

10: Lahainaluna vs. Saint Louis, 12:30 p.m.

11: Baldwin vs. Kalaheo, 2:15 p.m.

12: Kamehameha-Hawaii vs. Campbell, 4 p.m.

13: Kamehameha vs. Kaimuki, 6 p.m.

14: Kahuku vs. Iolani, 8 p.m.

TOMORROW

At Stan Sheriff Center

15: Winners of Games 10 & 9, 2:30 p.m.

16: Winners of Games 12 & 11, 4 p.m.

17: Losers of Games 13 & 14, 6 p.m.

18: Winners of Games 13 & 14, 8 p.m.

Kahuku (20-7), the runner-up from the Oahu Interscholastic Association, will meet Iolani tonight at the Stan Sheriff Arena. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Unga, who struggled in Kahuku's opening-round game before fouling out, swarmed all over Baldwin's guards. The 6-foot-1 guard sank three free throws over the first 3 minutes of overtime to give the Red Raiders a 47-44 lead.

Baldwin, meanwhile, faltered. Matt Heyd, who led the Bears with 19 points, turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions in the final minute. Okesene Ale Jr. hit a foul shot with 25 seconds remaining for a 48-44 Kahuku lead.

Chase Nakamura's putback cut the lead to 48-46 with 7 seconds to go. After a Bears timeout, Ale caught the inbound pass and was falling out of bounds in the backcourt as he called timeout. However, Baldwin guard John Salmo was whistled for a foul.

Ale converted both free throws to put the game out of reach, 50-46, with 3 seconds to play.

Ale, who faced a box-and-one defense in the latter part of the game, led Kahuku with 16 points. He shot 5-for-13 from the floor against the hustling Bears. He was also 4-for-5 from the foul line.

With Baldwin's defense keying on Ale, Kahuku guards Iona Teriipaia and Shiloah Te'o came through with two 3-pointers apiece.

"They put the two shooters out there and they made just enough," Baldwin coach Wayne Gushiken said.

The Bears defeated Kahuku in nonconference play at the Punahou Holiday Classic in December, but looked rusty at times last night. Baldwin had a 10-day break after winning the Maui Interscholastic League title. Heyd, in particular, seemed off except for a hot third quarter when he shot 5-for-5 and scored 12 points.

"He was out of his game," Gushiken said of the oft-injured 6-foot senior. "How can we win with all the mistakes we made at the end. Pick one, we made a dozen."

Baldwin committed 24 turnovers, including nine by Heyd, against Kahuku's mix of zone and man defenses. Kahuku had 15 turnovers. The Bears outrebounded Kahuku 23-19 to keep the game close.

The Bears, who start a few underclassmen, showed their youth at times. "We've still got another game, and hopefully, we can learn from this," Gushiken said.

After nine lead changes, Kahuku found a gap in Baldwin's box-and-one defense. Shiloah Te'o swished a trey from the left corner to give Kahuku a 44-42 lead with 2:55 left in regulation.

Salmo canned a jumper from the baseline to tie the game at 44 with 1:46 left. The teams exchanged turnovers, with Kahuku regaining possession for the final 35 seconds. However, Heyd and Jeff Tumacder double-teamed Ale, and Te'o's desperation trey from the corner was short at the buzzer.

Kalaheo shot just 30 percent from the field (14-for-46). The Mustangs missed all 16 of their 3-point tries.

"They're a good team, so it was a struggle," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "There was a lot of emotion and there was a lot of energy spent."

Iolani (21-8), the top seed, broke open a tight battle with an 11-2 run that started midway through the third quarter. Shoji, a 6-4 senior, scored on a backdoor layup for a 3-point play to get the Raiders rolling. After a steal for a layup, a follow shot and a couple of free throws, Shoji had turned Iolani's two-point lead into a 41-30 game with 6:12 left in the contest.

The Mustangs got within 41-34 after a follow shot by Judd, but Iolani spread the floor with 4:55 left and turned the game into a free-throw clinic. Twenty of Iolani's 24 points in the fourth quarter came on free throws.

Shoji tallied seven rebounds and four assists for the Raiders. Barry Kang added nine points, all from the foul line in the final quarter, and freshman Liloa Nobriga also scored nine.

Iolani handled the intensity of Kalaheo's defense by platooning frequently, as usual. Now the Raiders will face a tough Kahuku squad tonight.